2011 Mountain Bike Gear of the Year

Fox DRCV Fork

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Trek’s Gary Fisher brand made a splash several years back when it developed the DRCV rear shock with Fox. The shock used a twin-stage design that offered supple small bump performance when only the first stage chamber is activated, but provided smooth big-hit damping when the force was great enough to open the second chamber. It was an instant success and Trek adopted the shocks to many of their bikes.

This year, the company worked with Fox to create a DRCV fork. Initially, the forks will only be available on select Trek models, but eventually we should see DRCV models expand deeper through the line. On the test models we rode, the benefits were immediately felt. The fork offered great small bump compliance, unmatched ability (for a trail fork) to suck up big hits and a very linear spring rate throughout the entire length of travel. While Trek’s 2012 line of bikes is impressive, we can only hope Fox will offer after-market versions of the fork.